The Importance of Boycotting Microbeads

While it’s all too easy to be swept away with the excitement of new releases, delicious-smelling products and finding the best exfoliator in the quest for brighter, smoother skin; we must never forget that beauty shouldn’t cost us the Earth. So, in celebration of World Oceans Day today, I thought I’d rope together a little post on why we should be boycotting products containing microbeads, what names to look out for in ingredients list used to disguise them and some product recommendations!

Often used to provide that ‘scrubby’ texture, microbeads are plastic microspheres that aside from being far too abrasive for our delicate facial skin, have a devastatingly negative impact on marine life as they are non-biodegradable and can’t be filtered out by our water systems; subsequently contributing to the ubiquity of plastic pollution in our oceans. When these microbeads are washed down our drains, they are consumed by our marine life which are then consumed by ourselves. Below are the names used for microbeads within ingredients lists:

Polyethylene

Polypropylene

I also thought it would be useful if I were to list a few really great facial and body exfoliants that are micro-bead free! If you’re unsure as to whether your products contain microbeads, the Beat The Microbead app is amazing! All you have to do is scan the barcode of a product that you own or when you’re out and about skincare shopping, and it will instantly tell you whether the product is microbead-free or not.